The dragon, with a wing span of ten feet was the star attraction at the Zoo on Tuesday as people came from far and wide to witness the unique creature.

The legendary creature's appearance at the Zoo was the latest stunt and grand finale of Tourism Ireland’s Game of Thrones themed social media campaign, created in partnership with HBO to showcase Northern Ireland around the world.

Over the past 14 weeks, Tourism Ireland has been organising a series of Game of Thrones-themed stunts – with fantastical props from the hit TV series appearing in surprising locations around Belfast and Northern Ireland.

Other stunts included Targaryen-farmed dragon eggs ‘on sale’ in St George’s Market for the price of 125 Gold Dragons – the currency used in Game of Thrones.

Enterprise, Trade and Investment Minister Jonathan Bell said: “The film industry here is continuing to grow. Productions such as the Game of Thrones are taking advantage of our strong crew base, stunning locations and the availability of state of the art studio facilities. Another area of growth is that of screen tourism.

"Local people and visitors alike want to see where their favourite characters and storylines are filmed. I want to congratulate Tourism Ireland on this innovative campaign that has seen dragon eggs for sale at St George’s Market and now a dragon at Belfast Zoo.

"I am sure this campaign will spark the imagination of many fans of the show both home and abroad and inspire them to visit the film locations such as the Marble Arch Caves, Murlough Bay and Ballintoy Harbour.”

Tourism Ireland has been releasing a mixture of short videos and images from the various stunts on Facebook and Twitter – which are then being shared by Game of Thrones fans worldwide to celebrate the show and its filming locations in Northern Ireland.

Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland, said: “We were delighted to continue our partnership with HBO in 2015, to highlight Belfast and Northern Ireland – through the exciting events of Game of Thrones – on the global stage.

"The campaign is building on the huge success of last year – when our campaign generated almost one million clicks, comments and shares and reached about 100 million fans across the world.

"We are reaching out to the show’s global fanbase – bringing Northern Ireland to the attention of Game of Thrones fans worldwide in a fun and innovative way.

"The fans will see our videos and photos, spiking their curiosity about the landscapes and locations featured in the series and inspiring them to come and explore them for themselves.”